Cooling-tower.



E. BURHQRNl GOGLING TOWER. y A'PPLIoATIoN Hum VJUNI: 11, 1909.

Patented Dec. l20, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

EQ BURHORN. COOLING TOWER.. APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 11, 1909.

" Patented De0.'20, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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EDWIN BURHORN, OF HOBOKEN, NEXV, JERSEY.

Y Specification of Letters Patent.

COOLING-TOWER.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Application filed .Tune 11., 1909. Serial No. 501,488.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN BURHORN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Hoboken, county of I-Iudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Towers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cooling plants, and more particularly to that class known as cooling towers, the purpose of which is to lower the temperature of water which has been heated in some way as in the operation of a condensing steam engine.

My invention contemplates improvements in the form, mode of operation, and eonstruction, as well as the d'etails of cooling towers, and the improvements together with t-he objects accomplished will appearin the following description.

I will lrst describe one or more forms of plants embodying my improvements, and will then point out the novel features in the claims.

In the two sheets of drawings accompanying this application, Figure l is a side elevation partly in section of a cooling plant embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, looking toward the end in which the fans or blowers are mounted, said view being partly broken away in order to disclose certain interior details. Fig. 3 is a partial top view of the apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are side and end elevations respectively of a detail, namely, the shutter or louver operating contrivance. Fig. 6 is a top view, and Fig. 7 an elevation showing in a more or less diagrammatical manner a modification of my invention and as applied to another type of cooling tower.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several gures ofj the drawings.

My invention preferably contemplates an inclosure within which is contained the remainder of the apparatus, and such inclosure may take the form of the housing A, which in Figs. l to 3 is seen to consist of a bottom wall a and four side walls, it being open at the top for the purpose of allowing the air to pass outward which has been forced in, as will hereinafter appear. Vithin the said housing is a system of superposed contrivances or agents whose purpose is to expose the water which is passing housing.

through the tower in a most effective manner to the cooling action of the air which is at the Sametime passing into and out of the housing.

A convenient apparatus for forcing air into the housing and through the system of water exposing agents is a series of blowers or rotary fans B, arranged in any conven'- ient manner in one of the side walls of the The wall A. in which said fans are arranged may be termed the air-admission wall. No special description is required ofthe said fans save that they may be operated by power as usual to draw atmospheric air inward and force it through the air-admission wall of the housing, so that the air will pass through ther system of water exposing agents, having a cooling effect upon the water thereon, and the air finally passing out through the open side or top of the housing. i

For convenience the housing may be divided into a series of compartments by means of vertical dividing walls A2, which enables a part or all of the compartments to be employed as may be necessitated by the conditions of weather and climate.

The rotary fans B should also be separately systems, and in Fig. l I have shown a systemV which may be described as involving a series of decks carrying pans, the decks being superposed one above the other at proper intervals, and, the water being admitted to the topmost of the pans the result is that the water overflowing or passing through said pans falls through a space traversed by the cooling air until it enters the pan or pans of the deck therebeneath, this action continuing until the water has reached the bottom of the housing where it may be withdrawn in any desired manner.

For admitting the water at the top a suitable system of pipes and valves may be employed, such for example as the large pipe C which extends the entire length of the housing, and which at appropriate intervals has communicating with it a series of smaller and perforated pipes c whicheXtend directly over the topmost of the pan decks. Said pipes c sprinkle the water over the topmost deck or the pans thereon, the water passing downward as described until upon reaching the bottom it is drawn from the housing by means of an exit C. The pipe C may be provided with valves c at suitable intervals, whereby a part or all of the sprinkling system may be` cut off when desired.

D, D, D2, D, and Dl indicate a series or system ot pan-supporting decks arranged one above the other and each of which supports an appropriate number of pans. For example deck D2 is provided with four pans (l, (Z, d?, and (Z3, each pan being of any suitable construction, for example as illustrated in my eo-pending application No. 480,379, tiled Dec. QS, 1907, wherein as in this application, the liquid passes through the pans, their bottoms being perforated for this purpose. As in said prior application, a tine meshed fabric may be placed upon each pan.

By examining Fig. l, it will be seen that the decks and pans ar-e arranged in a peculiar manner, which is for a purpose that I will now explain. The right-hand ends of the several decks are in a vertical line one over the other, whereas on the contrary the lett-hand ends all terminate at different points by reason of the topmost deck being shorter in length than the one beneath it, and so on to the bottom deck which is the longest. The result ot this is that the distance from th-e lett end of the topmost deck to the tar wall of the housing (that is the wall opposite the air-admission wall) is the greatest in extent, while such distance decreases for each of the successively lower decks. Two advantages are gained by this novel arrangement. The arrows seen in Fig. l illust-rate the direction ot the tiow of air which is from right to lett, it passing between the ditferent decks and in contact with the wat-er which lies in the pans and the water which is falling from deck to deck. rl`he air tlow at'tcr it passes between the several decks at the let't must pass upwardly and escape from the top ot the housing. It

will thus be seen that the actual volume of air passing upward at the left increases from the bottom upward. In other words, the air passing to the lett beneath the lowest deck D* is added to as it rises by the volume ot air passing between decks D3 and Dt, and so on. Obviously this increasing volume of air .is automatically accommodated by the described arrangement ot' decks, since the horizontal area through which the air has to pass upward increases trom the bottom to the top. A tui-ther benet from the described arrangement is that the decks and pans acconnnodate themselves to the natural action of the wat-er under the influence of the air currents. Thus the water overflowing from or percolating through the pans on the topmost deck D has a tendency to pass to the lett and in fact is blown a substantial distance to the left under the influence of the air currents between decks D and D. This inclined direction of falling is taken care of all the way from the top to the bottom by the fact that each successively lower deck extends farther to the lett than the next deck above it. Above each deck level is a door itormed in the side wall ot the housing, by which one may enter in order to adjust or remove or repair the pans or other parts, or adjust the shutters or louvers herein to be described.

For purposes which will hereinafter appear I have provid-ed an arrangement of shutters or louvers which may be opened or shut or adjusted at will to suit the necessities. In Fig. l is shown a series otl such shutters, they being arranged in a substantially vertical line in a location intermediate the air-admission wall and the system ot water exposing' agents or pans. A substantial space is shown between the two which permits the air forced inward by the fans to appropriately distribute itself prior to its passing through the louvers or shutters and entering the space between the decks. A short all c2 at the top above the space just referred to aids in this operation and prevents -the waste ot air by upward escape before passing between the decks.

As shown the series of louvers which are illustrated, have been divided into a plurality of groups, tive groups being shown and tour louvers appearing in each group. By this arrangement each group may be independently operated either for adjustment or for opening and shutting of the louvers. By this on-e may control not only the manner and direction in which the air enters the space between the decks, but may at will cut otl' the air flow from any given space, which is o'f great advantage in permitting the adaptation et the cooling plant to the variations ot' temperature and atmosphere which come with the change ot seasons.

et'erring to the detail views, Figs. 4 and the four louvers in each group will be seen to consist ot swinging boards or shutters f pivoted at their upper corners so as to enable them to be opened or closed and set at any desired incline. A parallel link motion is a convenient means ot securing the operation in unison ot all of the louvers in a single group, and to this end ,a connecting rod j is shown which is engaged by a lever with each tour of the louvers and also by a handle F which extends inwardly to a point where one may grasp it and throw it to any desired incline for the adjustment of the louvers. An arc F with a. series of pin holes may be employed in connection with a pin for securing the handle F in a desired adjustment.

It Will` be understood that the several louvers in each group act as air regulators to enable the control of the admission of air lld from the air driving apparatus to the waterexposing agents, and the means for opening and closing the louvers or shutters constitutes an air regulator adjusting means.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown an apparatus in which a different form of waterr exposing agent is employed. In this apparatus no pans are used. Neither does the air enter byfa side wall. On the contrary the air-admission wall is the bottom of the housing, a fan B serving to force the air therefrom so that it passes upwardly and out at the top. Across the housing of this apparatus near the bottom are a series of bars G extending completely across and shown only in part in Fig. 6. Upon these bars at the bottom are piled a series of or system of earthenware cylinders, the manner of superposing them upon each other. being illustrated in a portion of Fig. 6. i

At J is shown the pipe which sprinkles the water upon the topmost of the agents IfI,

the water falling, trickling and seeping c .ownwardly against the ascending current o'f air.

My invention is shownas applied to this apparatus by a-series of horizontally ar ranged louvers K which as above described are operable in groups, there being at K a series of exterior handles enabling any desired arrangement of the louvers as to their incline or as to their being open or shut.

That I claim and desire to secure by Iletters Patent is:

l. In a cooling tower, the combination of a housing havingside walls, a system of superposed water-exposing agents within said housing, means for supplying at the housings upper part the liquid to be cooled whereby it may pass down from agent to `agent through the housing to the lower part,

a superposed series of air regulators disposed m juxtaposition to said system of agents between the latter and the side wall .and spaced from said side wall to form an air pressure chamber therebetween, and air and spaced from said side wall to form an air pressure chamber therebetween, and air driving apparatus located in said side wall at a height directly opposite one or more of said regulators; said regulators consisting of swinging louvers connected in groups and having a plurality of adjusters therefor, each adjuster having connections for all the louvers in one group.

3. In a cooling tower, the combination of av housing having side walls, a system ofV superposed water-exposing agents within -said housing, means for supplying at the housings upper part the liquid to be cooled whereby it may pass down from agent to agent through the housing to the lower part, a superposed series of air regulators disposed in juxtaposition to said system of agents between the latter and the side wall and spaced from said side wall to form an air pressure chamber therebetween, and air driving apparatus for forcing air into the chamber between said side wall and regulators; said regulators consisting of swinging louvers connected in groups and having a plurality of adjusters therefor, each adjuster having connections for all the louvers in one group.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 9th day of June, 1909.

EDWIN BUR-HORN. Vitnesses CONRAD A. DIETERIGH, ELIZABETH B. KING. 

